There’s an adage in the communications industry that goes: “Everybody is an art director”.  With today’s desktop publishing technology, its very easy for almost anyone to believe that they can design their own brand identity, corporate brochure, web site or whatever communications tools they need to move their business forward.

But the truth of the matter is that good design is not something that just anyone with a computer and the necessary software can do. And poorly thought out and amateurishly executed design can do companies a great deal more harm than good.

Today’s consumers, whether they fall into the B2B or B2C category, have an extremely well-developed sense of what constitutes appealing design. And while they cannot always articulate what it is about a well-designed piece of communication or campaign that attracts their attention and interest, they know what they like, and more importantly they know, and tend to avoid what they don’t like.

Good Design Means Good Business

Granted, we are designers and communications thinkers here at Rapport and so it would be easy to assume that we are a bit biased toward the idea of design being done by designers.

Biases aside, there have been a number of studies conducted over the years that demonstrate time and again, that the link between good design and improved business performance is a very strong one. For example a report from the Design Management Institute of Great Britain found that, of the 48 companies they surveyed, the ‘design conscious’ companies showed significant differences in turnover growth, capital growth and return on capital, averaged over seven years.

The Benefits Of Good Design

1. The single most important benefit of incorporating good design is business growth. When your company is represented in a well designed way: one that clearly communicates and articulates your business objectives, it’s easy for your target group to ‘get’ you and understand the benefits you offer. Consequently, they will be more likely to purchase your products or services.
2. Companies that project a well-designed corporate identity tend to be able to move forward with higher levels of confidence and self-assurance. This is especially true of companies with sales forces that require large amounts of leave-behind material, that usually find their way to the CEO or CFO levels.
3. Companies who incorporate professional design are invariably seen as more appealing to their target groups than companies whose image is amateurishly put together. The reasoning here is if a company cares enough about their corporate appearance to incorporate well thought out and high quality design, they are more likely to treat their customers in the same first class fashion.

Good Design Means Moving Forward Confidently

As you can see, the benefits of good design we have outlined here are all about developing and maintaining confidence, within and without. Because there’s another adage that is very common in the communications industry and that is, ‘perception is reality’.

If your company can create, through good design, the perception of being world class and a company worth doing business with, your people are more likely to perform and your customers more likely to respond in the same way.

At Rapport, we have helped a number of clients achieve success through well designed brand identities and marketing campaigns. Detailed case studies are readily accessible here.